Building Strengths To Become Healthy

Building strengths in our lives has more impact than focusing on trying to improve our weaknesses. We can either fight our tendencies or build on them to make them our strengths. I hope that this week, you all can focus on your idiosyncrasies and make them your strengths in life.

I chuckle right now because as we speak, my husband points out the mess of my office. This isn’t my strength, the whole cleaning and organizing bit. I tell him I am not going to clean because that isn’t what makes me strong. Tawanda! Hear me roar!

Why Focus on Enhancing Strengths Rather than Fixing Yourself

Build on what makes you a force. By this, I mean that rather than trying to improve your weaknesses, you try to put those weaknesses aside and exemplify what is right with your personality and those things that make you, YOU.

I’ll start with myself. What makes me unique?

I write because it is who I am.

I had some soul searching time this week, and I’m not one to hold back. I’ve been blogging for over a year now; it helps me learn and grow, both in my own health and I hope in other’s health for those who may read it.

Writing every week is worth it to me because I can’t change the core of my being. I’m starting to think it is a strength of mine. I should have been writing 2 decades ago.

It took me this long to find my voice, and with this voice, I want to do good things for others. I hope you don’t wait 2 decades to do what you love. Enhance what you know is at your center of who you are and what makes you tick.

With this blog, I hope to help you find out who you are so that you can grow in a streamlined fashion.

I will start by listing my own perceived strengths. No one can take away your strengths, so go ahead and list them too. Don’t think about those weaknesses! You don’t need anyone else’s approval with this list. It just needs to be your own.

Listing Strengths

By listing my own perceived strengths, it may help you think of your own. Here are my thoughts.

My strengths:

I am tenacious

I am consistent

I am curious

I am open

I am strategic

I am a learner

I am a writer

I dig deep for information

I find joy in simple pleasures

Experiences bring me happiness

I like to enhance other people’s strengths

What are your strengths? Please share with me.

This week, I hope that you can forget about your list of weaknesses. I could certainly list mine here, but what good does that do me, you, or anyone? If we focus on our positives, we can achieve so much more.

Who says food and healing can’t be an art? I’m excited all the time about new and exciting foods and health benefits that come with it.

Why Avoid That List of Weaknesses

It is oh-so-easy to think about what is wrong in our lives and how we should fix those things. The focus on the negatives, while at times can be a way to improve, too often becomes an internal battle that isn’t one we can win.

We can’t fight the way we are wired.

My good friend this week was struggling a lot with herself. So much so, that I really worry about her.

She has so many skills that I know I will never be my most strong points. She’s organized, conscientious, empathetic and a great listener. She’s a fantastic mother, excellent employee, and provider. but she can’t see it. I hope she makes that list of strengths and believes them at her core.

As I write today, I’m thinking of things I want to tell her, that she should know, but may never know because she is so hard on herself and so heavily focuses on her self-improvement.

She probably won’t even know it is about her because she only sees her own flaws.

She can’t see how wonderful she is as a mother and the great planning and attention she gives to their care. She can’t see that everything she’s done up this point has left a positive impact on everyone around her including me.

She goes to doctors, counselors, and tries to fix herself. Why can’t she see that she doesn’t need fixing?

Building on Our Diet Strengths

The same application goes with our food and what we put in our bodies. At any given moment, we can be critical of the negatives in what we eat, about our bodies, and what we find in our food supply.

Yet, isn’t it better to think of a great flavor we tried and an amazingly nourishing food that we put in our body today? So far today, that food is coffee for me. Pretty darn amazing. And more is to come. Check out my coffee blog.

Start out that list of food positives too, and try to keep those things that you love around too. Be honest with yourself and keep that list to real foods if possible.

Heidi Moretti, MS, RD is The Healthy RD. A registered dietitian for 20 years, has a passion for functional nutrition and natural medicine. Has researched supplements and plants as medicine throughout her career. Loves helping people gain function and vitality by tackling root causes of illness.

Heidi Moretti, MS, RD is The Healthy RD. A registered dietitian for 20 years, has a passion for functional nutrition and natural medicine. Has researched supplements and plants as medicine throughout her career. Loves helping people gain function and vitality by tackling root causes of illness.